Monday, January 27, 2020
How to approach a child with autism properly
How to approach a child with autism properly The idea of being polite or that which designate the point of politeness to others is a great virtue to begin with. In that essence, when dealing and attending to or with people or a child with autistic disorder, politeness and understanding their sentiments is also very important. Not all people are blessed or lucky to live a normal life. That is where we can derive the sentimental value of politeness to make its presence as far as approaching a child with autism in a proper way is concerned. What we can comprehend and understand from the general assimilation of the facts, especially when it concerns child with autistic is that people who behaves with them politely is often not only respected by autistic child, but also loved by them in great many ways. In that context again, a child with autism also in any given occasion responds to people who are polite and who understands them in the other way round. That is to say, a child with autisms most commonly is often known to be impaired by brain disorders or that which impaired the part of the brains, and are children with special needs and care. Thus, extra attentions have to be given to them to improve their way of living in a better way. This is where the question of being polite to them also come to fore, because it bring into the occasion the consideration for the feelings of others. When we look at these features in contention, a child with autisms we feel is characterized by certain aspects of impairment that prevent them to interact and communicate socially in the way a normal child does. Behavioral aspects of a child with autism also often prevent them due to repetitive behavior that a normal child does or is expected of. Hypothesis: Proposal and Issue in Contention Understanding autism is important in a sense that it can provide us a gist about the disease in general and what are the salient factors attached to it. Autism as one of the commonest diseases is spreading fast and affects millions of individuals, especially childrens. To have a clear and precise understanding of it is very beneficial for an informative understanding of the diseases. Emphasizing the valuable aspects attached to children that are affected by autism and understanding the significance of how to approach such children also can provide us with an idea about what should be and what should not be the factors while making a way to approach children with autism, because as we know children with autism have a general disorder to understand and view things as normal people does. As one aspects of human disability, autism as diseases is rather hard for general people to understand, especially when it matter to approach child with autism, given that their behavior at times are a sore for the sight. However, we should not make it look so bad. Given that childrens who are affected with autism also are humans, so does we. Hence, every notion to have a feeling for them and their needs is one significant point to build a society based on understanding, sharings, helping people in needs and most importantly contributing to limit the plight of those less fortunate. In that essence, we feel that to general the objective of this study is to view into the salient aspects encompassing factors of the subject matter that attempts to trace how to approach child with autism in order to do away with any misgivings and misunderstanding. As we know children with autism are childrens with special needs and care. Thus, every aspect to understand their behavior for example can be an ample foreground for us to feel for their plight or to make a contributing hand in helping such childrens and their cause. Thus, it should be clarified that in order to have a clear understanding of autism, a thorough understanding of a child with autism also readily calls for attention, which this projects attempts to address and exemplifies the crucial points. In doing so, a literature review of the subject matter that limits its analysis to factor on defining autism and how to approach child with autism is a necessity, which the following paragraph details. Literature Review: The idea and notion of Autism As we can derive from a general accumulation of the facts, autism is a general disorder that affects the behavior of person affected by it. Most often than not, people or a child with autisms is restricted by certain neural disorder that prevent them to behave and act normally in most occasions. It is heartening to experience in that capacity. However, point of it also should looked and extrapolated in which the salient and special characteristic of a child with autism also should be acknowledged. In that regard, experts are of the opinion that autism like all mental disorders are phenomenological based diagnosis. That is to say, autism is a form of mental disorders that is observable to predict through an experiment. Altogether, autism can directly be defined as a disease based on observable and reproducible behavioral phenomenon, and composed a complex biological system or that which medical experts calls end point in psychiatric illness. (Casanova, 2005, p. 198) Thus, when we begin to this comprehension of the facts and subject matter arguments again, we feel that medical experts opinion on the same also should be taken in a discourse. Although much of the definition of autism herein and as defined above is medically grounded, that is to say, all aspects of the features attached to autism are defined in medical and clinical sense. In that capacity and as sources can be derived from our study, the IDEA Act in US (Individual with Disability Education Act) defines the notion attached to autism as one of the developmental disability in a person that significantly affects the way of people behavior and their responses to certain social interaction process. That is to make it simple, autism has a direct affect upon an individual verbal and non-verbal communications processes. Together with it, individual who are affected with autism and its disorder also often find the social interaction to be close to impossible. What we can relate further is that autisms are generally evident in any given child affected by it before the age of three years. The effect of autisms also adversely affects a childs educational performance, given that as a neural disorder, the affect of learning disability also directly comes to fore. (Anonymous, 2008) Thus, when we interpret and accumulate to the notion that can be derived from the above definition in brief, it comes as a direct representation of the sociological aspects that can be emphasized again. That is to say, a close knot understanding in brief can be derived as to what composed the meaning of autism in general term; rather than the previous idea that is medically grounded. How to Approach Autistic Childrens? When we come to this part of the study, what we can cum up from the above definition, its terms and characteristics attached to autism also provided an avenue to understand the meaning of autism. In that regard, it is crucial to understand autism in a sense that it can further enable us to derive the salient aspects as and when it matter to dealing with autistic people. The question that arises also is how to approach children with autism? To begin with in this regard, we feel that a thorough understanding of the behavioral aspects and in particular the characteristic associated with autism is important as a measure to approach with them in day to day life and interaction process. Hence, experts feel that as far as approaching an autistic child goes it is to be sensible and vitreous enough to understand who they are, because autism is just one part of their characteristics. Yet a child with autism is also a unique creation of God and with unique character and gifts. (Wong, 2009) Thus, the best way to approach a child with autism is to give them enough space to be what they want and to express their humanness as to who they are, not by what we make think of otherwise. To put it in simple terms, approaching a child with autism is all based on the things that we can encounter, and how we response to each one of it in a cordial and virtues way. Secondly, autistic child and their characteristic of neural disorder prevent them from imaginative thinking. Hence, in that regard, expert opinion in that respect is to approach a child with autism with due care and attention to details. That is to say, identifying with them is the best way possible, because child with autism are hypersensitive to certain things that are beyond their imagination to grabs a thing or two being said or conversed. Thus, a cautious approach to the language used, and individual willingness to identify with them and their capabilities as well as doing thing to them in one sense give greater details and a good basis to approach a child with autism, (Wong, 2009) because as we can emphasize to the meaning of it, the fact is that that often actions speaks louder then word with children affected by autism. Together with it, and from a professional way on emphasizing to the notion of approaching a child with autism, that is to say, teaching a child with autism defines many foregrounds of the do and donts. As far as the subject topic goes in that regard, it is widely undertaken with due care and cautious approach. Expert opinion of the point to approach a child with autism and while teaching an autistic child is to give greater details and focus on two significant areas as far as it goes with the use of functional activities, and in particular an effort to make programs appropriate enough for student development level that also attends to their chronological age. (Raymond Le Blanc, 2007, p. 102) Hence, as we have related in the introductory note to the subject matter arguments, we feel that being polite to children with autism can be a great virtue indeed. That is why we see an extensive empathizing that is given attention toward children with autism. Altogether such move is also a good social cause, given that it gives the child that are affected with autism greater details to explore and experiment their life in a meaningful way, especially with people who understand them in a better way. Understanding the Characteristics of Autistic Childrens As far as autism goes, a prominent attribute or aspect of something that is related is also relevant to trace as a measure to understand in general the characteristic attached to the diseases and its symptoms in any. In that regard one of the common characteristics that are most often associated with autism can be exemplified towards the components attached to repetitive activities among autistic child. In that notion, autism and is characteristics as can be observed reflects the stereotyped movement of autistic individuals or a child. (Anonymous, 2008) Most importantly, autistic characteristic also are most often than not resistance to change. Hence, when autistic individual are subject to environmental change or change in daily course of life and routines to be precise, a direct instance of resistance also can be observed. Such characteristics as can be explained are unusual responses to sensory or neural experiences attached to autism and individual affected by it, (Anonymous, 2008) says experts in the fields of autistic study and child development welfares. Further down the line, we often feel that to define autism correctly is hard, because it all depends on interpreting the traits that are relevant to autistic individual or childrens. In that reasoning, and as far as expert opinion and their idea of autism goes, it directly relates to people who often have difficulty in three major areas, namely social interaction, communication, either can be (verbal or written) or both, and flexible and imaginative thinkings, which medical experts such as Lorna Wings have referred on the condition attached to autism and autistic behavior and characteristics. (Pittman, 2007, p. 4) In context of the above definition of the characteristic attached to autism, we can directly trace the features as to what composed imaginative thinking as well. Let say, autistic adversely affect the child learning capacity but it does not mean that a childs educational performance in such situation or occasion as such is adversely affected due to or primarily because of the child emotional disturbance, but it is a direct insistence of the disorder attached to neural or psychological diseases. (Anonymous, 2008) That is why; characteristic attached to children with autism is rather complicated to register readily with a layman. Once again, from the interpretation of this term, a concise meaning to autism and its spectrum also can be derived. What we can drive home the idea is that regard as well can be further stated that autism is rather a complex disorder as far as social interaction and cognition of term goes. In that capacity as well, we feel that autistic childs are individuals that calls for special attention and special care, wherein all the components and characteristics that posits a child with autism should not be taken for granted to accumulate who they are, since it is only one part of them and their disability. Conclusion Going back to the overall discussion, we are of the opinion that understanding autism and how to approach autistic child with such a disorder calls for extra measure and efforts to be made. Hence, to conclude in that regard and what we can drive home the idea that erupts from politeness with autistic child as well has some sentimental value, which we feels defines the notion that parts of it also comes readily, and registers with people who have been trained to handle or responds to children with autistic behavior in a better way. For a layman, understanding a child with autism can be close to impossible, because as some experts have maintained is the fact that autistic disorder in a child does not in a way explains or defines who the child is, which in a sense it only give a clear impression and natural accumulation of the fact that autism is one part of the character and being of childrens with autism. (Wong, 2009) Recommendations In the current state of affairs, extensive researches are being carried out to understand the many variables attached to autism and its characteristics in particular. As human and scientific knowledge increases, so does the awareness and attention that is given to certain fields of study as a measure to reaps the benefits in facilitating a better way of life to children with autism also automatically arises. There are many components that make it hard to define autism, which in any capacity is what we call a diseases. Measure initiated in the study and research thus is to bring into contention the idea to understanding and tracing the salient aspects of autism so that a progress can be channelized to treat the disorder in a better way, because it is one aspect of concerns that medical experts encounters. (Casanova, 2005, p. 198) Thus, when we relate to the above statement as well, and accumulating the overall discussions, we can derive as to where the idea in the medical fields that is interrelated to autism and its study can be emphasized for further research and study. After all, medical research initiated in context of autism is a measure that comes as a means to an end in enabling medical experts to find a befitting solution to treat the disorder and to facilitate the channel of life bearing examples. Such insistence and initiation is a good move and designate an attempt with great virtue and a great cause.
Sunday, January 19, 2020
Rainy Days Essay
Rainy days are wonderful to me. Sometimes they can be a hassle but I still love them. The only time I usually have rainy days is when it is July though. Rainy days are awesome to me sense I can do a lot of things in my own house. The reasons why I like rainy days mainly is because I can sing, listen to music, relax, and eat comforting food. First of all, the reason I like rainy days is because I love to sing.During my rainy days sense the air is usually moist and the temperature is usually cold, it is my favorite time to practice. The climate actually helps my voice by making it very moist instead of dry. If I sing with a dry throat, it will damage my vocal chords and it would also damage my tonsils since I would be straining my voice. So I like to play it on the safe side and practice the most on rainy days. Nonetheless, I love to listen to music on rainy days. I mostly listen to sad or calm music because it relaxes me and brings out my emotions.It gets even better when I look out t he window and I see the gloomy, wispy, and foggy roads and the grasshoppers, birds, and squirrels take cover under big, green trees or leaves with dew from the rain on them as I see the whitish, greyish rain splatter all over the place. My favorite song that I like to listen to most is called ââ¬Å"How to Avoid the Sunâ⬠by Bi Rain; it is one of the most beautiful songs Iââ¬â¢ve heard or at least one of the nicest songs Iââ¬â¢ve listened to.Music also makes me realize new things and wonder about the world especially when it is raining. Another reason is that I love to relax during rainy days. Hearing the pitter patter of the raindrops going on the ground while there is loud thunder as little cool, white or yellow strikes in the sky that looks like a crack in the dark, grey clouds called lightening flash all over the place. I could just flop down on my bed and cuddle under my warm, soft blankets to be nice, cozy, and comfy.Another thing I like to do is take a nap to the s ounds of the rain or daydream. It makes me feel like it is winter or something because the cold temperature also relaxes me. Finally, the last reason I love rainy days is because I can eat as much fattening food as I want. Ice cream, hot chocolate, tea, you name it and I will eat it. Eating is one of my favorite things to do even though I do not eat a lot. These are my comfort foods during rainy days to also help me relax.The taste of the creamy, doughy ice cream tickles my taste buds and gives me a brain freeze sense I eat too fast because cookie dough ice cream is my favorite; the hot chocolate is sweet, warm, and itââ¬â¢s warmth makes me feel nice and cozy; and my tea is one of my favorites even though it is healthy. I usually drink tea warm and unsweetened because I try to stay skinny at the same time and my favorite tea is either Darjeeling or Tao: lemon grass and green tea but, these are the reasons why I love rainy days.
Saturday, January 11, 2020
Girls and poverty Essay
The gap between the worldââ¬â¢s rich and poor keeps widening. Over the last 20 years, the market share of the least-developed countries (700 million inhabitants) has decreased from 1 percent to 0. 6 percent of the worldââ¬â¢s total commerce. ââ¬Å"The majority of the population in black Africa is poorer today than a generation ago,â⬠writes French economist Philippe Jurgensen in Challenges magazine. In Ethiopia, for example, 67 million people live on one third the wealth of Luxembourgââ¬â¢s 400,000 inhabitants. Jurgensen notes that European farmers are entitled to receive a daily subsidy of 2. 5 euros per cow, whereas some 2. 5 billion people live on less than that each day. Thus, in many parts of the world, ââ¬Å"a poor person is worth less than a cow,â⬠says Jurgensen. (Bowler, 1983, 15) The present society today is composed of a vast population that is so much divided by the economic status of each individual. There are those who have strived and attained the wealth that they wanted, and there are those who remained in their state and stayed poor all their lives. This is the situation that social Darwinism suggests. (IRN Zimbabwe, 2003, 19) The vast income divide between rich and poor segregates people and even countries from one another. Not long ago the fortune of the richest man in the United States surpassed the combined net worth of more than 100 million of his fellow Americans. Globalization has also favored the growth of rich multinational companies that have practically taken over the world market for certain products. In 1998, for example, just ten companies controlled 86 percent of the $262-billion telecommunications business (Gelb, 1986, 17). The economic clout of these multinationals often exceeds that of governments and, as Amnesty International points out, ââ¬Å"human rights and labour rights are not a priority on their agenda. (Gelb, 1986, 10) Because of this fact, economic prejudice and oppression of the poor is very eminent within the communities of any nation. At so many situations, it could be noted that the poor are the ones discriminated from receiving the needed provisions that they ought to receive from the governments. Their rights are duly suppressed simply because of the fact that they have not much financial source to support their need or even their rights. Sadly, the situation of the poor becomes even poorer every second that the society advances ahead through technology, while the rich ones become richer because of their capability to use capitalism as a source of business, which would give them even more financial freedom. At this point, the existence of social Darwinism already becomes clear. Yes, Social Darwinism clearly portrays the psychological distraction that the poor ones get from their situation in life. Being poor have naturally made people commit the biggest mistake of simply accepting what they are. Their blinded mind that focuses on their misery has dragged them to the dreadful situation of helplessness that they are dealing with right now. Certainly, in relating the said theory to the actual situations of the humanity, it could be observed that the idea of Darwinism is indeed true and is obvious. Because of the fact that there are those who have power, mainly because they have the capability to gain the said authority due to their accumulation of wealth, the oppression of those who do not have the sources to attain power continues to rise. How is this proven? The following paragraphs that would pertain to the actual current issues shall clearly state the situation of the society regarding social Darwinism. With the existence of Social Darwinism as it is, it could be noted that most of the victims of poverty around the world [particularly in America and Africa] are young children and teenage girls as well. Obviously, the main attack of poverty directly affects the lives of the young ones as they stand as the most vulnerable elements of the society during these particular events and social dilemma. To understand better, the situational elements that contribute to poverty both in America and Africa are to be identified herein. Elements of Poverty Poverty is indeed wide spread in the whole world. Because of the lack of ability of the world governments to accurately provide people with what they need due to the fast-growing population, many among the human society are set aside and pushed towards poverty. Hence, as a result, their offspring and the generation that follows their line then remain in the said economic status. There are only a few among the many who are able to succeed in running away or struggling hard to change their status in the community. (Korten, 2001, 17) As a result, those people steadied in their situation of being poor already loose hope in coping up with their needs. The fact that they are suppressed in having the things that they need because of their incapability to pay, they then develop the idea that there are no ways for them to survive from their miseries in life except for the fact that they need to live by and accept their life as it is. It might then raise curiosity among readers on ââ¬Å"what are the real causes of poverty among people in the society? â⬠In the diagram that follows, a summarized presentation of the said issue shall be addressed showing what is actually driving the poor sector of the society remains the way that they are. Analysis of Diagram: In the diagram presented above, it could be observed that there are three major reasons why the poor remain poor. The said reasons are as follows: â⬠¢ Economic Imbalance This factor pertains to the fact that that worldââ¬â¢s wealth is not evenly distributed to every person making up the population of the society. Because of the fact that there are those capitalists that aim to put up their own businesses to be able to gain more profit from their original amount of money invested on the said business entity. It is through this that they are able to gain power over the others who are struggling for survival from being poor. â⬠¢ Population Growth It is an irony that those who are poor are the ones bearing many children, children of which they are not able to support. This is because of the idea that they believe in that their children would be the ones who would struggle for better life for them. The more children they have, the faster they would be able to recover from their misery in poverty. However, this idealism has been proven a fallacy. For a fact, as the children of the poor sector add up, the more they feel the terrifying experience of their situation. â⬠¢ Psychological Disposition Based on psychological findings, poor people tend to ease their burden by telling themselves that they are already contented in the lifestyle that they are living in, and that they have nowhere else to go. As a result, the capitalists feed on this thought by contributing to the idea that without ample finances to support their needs, they are not going to get what they actually ought to have for a living. Basing from these three reasons, it could be observed that poor people simply tend to remain the way they are and the rich ones try to support the said situation by gaining more and not sharing what they have to those who are actually needy. As a result, people who are poor gain three major reactions to the situation. The said reactions include contentment on being poor, lack of self-trust and subjection to social discrimination; these are the things that the poor sector of the society needs to deal with everyday. Hence, America, being surrounded by capitalists and investors, has the rich and the poor sectors which are widely separated from each other. The fact that these capitalist know what to do with the money that they have, they are able to come up with ways by which they can still increase the wealth that they already posses. On the other hand, those who are poor have lesser ideas as well as courage in creating new ways to find a way of living. Certainly, the rich ones who have greater education have greater chances of creating possibilities for themselves to attain financial success in their lives. More often than not, the rich ones who are already settled in their situation are the ones who have greater chances of increasing their authority and power in the society through the use of their finances (Gelb, 1986, 22). Meanwhile, the poor one who are receiving lesser than needed are focusing on the things that they could only attain. They have lesser time spent on thinking how to increase their finances since they are already only trying to live by with what they have, and they do not have enough hopes of spending their time in planning, since they are already so consumed with their present situation. The Teenage Girls and their Reactions to Poverty There are likely three major results of poverty among young girls both in America and Africa. The said three major results are as follows: Diagram 2: The effects of Poverty on Young Teenage Girls in America and Africa Explanation: From the diagram presented herein, it could be observed that girls from both Africa and America who for some reasons are afflicted by poverty react in almost the same way to the level of being directly affected by the situation (Tanenbaum, 2000, 13). Most likely, their health and their safety becomes the most vulnerable element that needs some attention from the governing authorities who have concern over the situation (Riordan, 2004, 18). Undeniably, although the said societies are separately identified as somewhat different in terms of economic standing in the world trade, the reasons behind their poverty levels are somewhat identical that brings the results of the said situation in the society towards the teenage girl-population of the said communities somewhat common and identical as well. (Vendela, 2004, 18) Conclusion The belief behind the existence of the poor and the reasons behind the said situation is naturally noted as something that needs to be closely identified to be able to help solve the issues that bind poverty with that of human society today. The young ones, being the main target of the situation [teenage girls in particular] are facing a great challenge of remaining strong in facing the said issues of lacking the needed strength. Psychologists and other government authorities could help much in defining the different solutions that are made available for the ones affected by the afflictions brought about by poverty in both industrialized and still-developing countries such as that of Africa. References: â⬠¢ IRIN News South Africa: Land ownership remains racially skewed May 24, 2005 â⬠¢ IRIN News Land reform in Southern Africa July, 2003. â⬠¢ IRIN News Zimbabwe: Land reform omits farm workers Land reform in Southern Africa July, 2003. â⬠¢ Bowler, Peter. The Eclipse of Darwinism: Anti-Darwinian Evolution Theories in the Decades around 1900. Baltimore, 1983. â⬠¢ Gelb, S. A. ââ¬Å"Henry H. Goddard and the Immigrants, 1910-1917: The Studies and their Social Context,â⬠Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences 22 (1986): 324-332. â⬠¢ Rosenberg, Charles E. ââ¬Å"The Bitter Fruit: Heredity, Disease and Social Thought,â⬠Perspectives in American History 8 (1974):189-235. â⬠¢ David C Korten. When Corporations Rule the World. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. (2001): 345-346. â⬠¢ Founou-Tchuigoua, Bernard Food self-sufficiency: Crisis of the collective ideology African agriculture: The critical choices. United Nations University Press (1990) ISBN 0-86232-798-9 â⬠¢ Milich, Lenard (1997) Food security in Pre-Colonial Hausaland . World Commission on Protected Areas (1995-2006) WCPA West and Central Africa Region Key Issues The World Conservation Union National Academy of Sciences Lost Crops of Africa:Grains ISBN 0-309-04990-3 publication announcement March 4, 1996 â⬠¢ Future Harvest With time running out, scientists attempt rescue of African vegetable crops. News Feature November 29, 2001 â⬠¢ Gouse, Marnus et al. Three seasons of subsistence insect-resistant maize in South Africa: have smallholders benefited? AgBioForum Volume 9, No. 1 (2006) â⬠¢ Singh, B. P. (2002) Nontraditional crop production in Africa for export. p. 86ââ¬â92. In: J. Janick and A. Whipkey (eds. ), Trends in new crops and new uses. ASHS Press, Alexandria, VA. â⬠¢ Leora Tanenbaum. (2000). Slut! Growing Up Female with a Bad Reputation. Harper Paperbacks; 1 edition. â⬠¢ Teresa Riordan. (2004). Inventing Beauty: A History of the Innovations that Have Made Us Beautiful. Broadway Publishing. â⬠¢ Vendela Vida. (2000). Girls on the Verge: Debutante Dips, Drive-bys, and Other Initiations. St. Martinââ¬â¢s Griffin; 5th edition.
Friday, January 3, 2020
Why My Grandmother Was Right All Along - Free Essay Example
Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 2104 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2019/04/15 Category Sports Essay Level High school Tags: Soccer Essay Did you like this example? Why My Grandmother Was Right All Along As we stepped off the field all we could think of was getting to the shade. People had begun spraying water over the fields, and steam started rising from the ground. As we got ready to play our next game one girl had to change her cleats because the oneââ¬â¢s she had been wearing had melted over the course of the previous game. Donââ¬â¢t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Why My Grandmother Was Right All Along" essay for you Create order Another girl was begging the coach not to force her back on the field. We had been familiar with playing soccer in very high temperatures but none of us had experienced this while playing on artificial field turf. These, however, are not only dangers that come with being an athlete forced to play on artificial field turf. In recent years disquietudes have risen about possible dangers related to exposure to artificial field turf among athletes, specifically both the immediate and long term ramifications turf can have on oneââ¬â¢s health. Concern related to the use of artificial field turf connects to the different materials turf is comprised of: backing material, which provides support; plastic blades, which make it a form of grass; and infill, found in the form of rubber beads. These beads comprised of recycled tires, which include: lead, benzene, mercury, arsenic, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, along with a number of others, as reported by Hannah Rappleye (NBC). But these are just a few of the many possible ingredients used in the turf beads. It is difficult to know exactly what potentially harmful materials an athlete is being exposed to due to the variety of tires being used to make turf. Without testing every individual bead of grass there is no way to know with absolute certainty what athletes are being exposed to as they play. In 2011 a study was conducted by Stuart L. Shalat to determine how much field turf is inhaled by athletes while on the field. A machine called a PIPER was used to sample the air of five different fields throughout New Jersey. All of the tests took place during the summer at temperatures higher than eighty degrees fahrenheit. The results proved that the wipe samples of lead measured in ng/ft2 ranges from thirty on fields two and five to ten thousand three hundred thirty on field one. Field one is the only field in the sample to be over five years old. This data suggests that even limited activity can cause the turf to be inhaled by the athletes present. Considering the number of other materials used, this has just reason to raise consternation (Shalat). All of this data also excludes the fact that turf beads can easily be swallowed and ingested, according to Jordan Swarthout, a former soccer goalie, who had spent multiple days a week playing on artificial turf for several years. Other apprehensions pertaining to artificial turf include the possibility of turf causing cancer. While there is no data to prove that turf is carcinogenic, one coach is collecting data to support the theory. A soccer coach, Amy Griffin, was heartbroken when she learned that one of her players had been diagnosed with cancer. The young girl was a goalie for the team and was the fourth goalie in the area to be diagnosed with cancer, according to one of the nurses. Griffin found this worrisome and decided to look into it further. Of the thirty eight young soccer players in the area diagnosed with cancer, thirty-four of them were goalies. Although it seems staggering to have eighty nine percent of the patients playing the same position on the field, upon further analysis it begins to make sense. Goalies make the most contact with the surface of the field. By diving to make saves, they often tear up their arms and legs during both games and practices. This results in direct exposure to turf. One patient, Jordan Swarthout, claims that she would, ââ¬Å"clean [turf beads] out of the abrasions and burns she got as a goalkeeper on turfâ⬠everyday (Rappleye). While there is no present evidence to definitively prove turf to be carcinogenic, there is a high correlation between the number of girls diagnosed after playing on turf, and the amount of contact each girl had with the turf. In recent years there has been a growing apprehension related to the number of concussions athletes are sustaining, as shown through the amount of attention the media is giving the topic. In football, this could be between two players crashing into each other; in soccer, this could be when the player goes up to head the ball. Few people realize that another way players could be getting concussions could be when they fall and hit their head against the ground. This is painful on a real grass field, where the player hits their head on the dirt, but it could hurt far worse to land on turf. Artificial turf is made on top on a much harder concrete foundation. This would be a much harder surface for players to hit their head against. A study was conducted to calculate just how much damage falling on artificial turf could do to athletes. The Gmax of an array of turf fields was collected using a CIST machine and F-355, machines made specifically to calculate how hard surfaces are. According to Penn State Gmax is considered, ââ¬Å"the average reported of the second and third drop in the same location.â⬠Six trials were collected using the CIST machine. The maximum Gmax for this machine was 135. The astroturf field that had already been used proved to have one Gmax of 113.5 and another of 118.6. This is between 84 and 87 percent of the Gmax allowed for athletes to slam their head against the ground and still be considered safe. During the three F-355 trials the highest allowing Gmax for safety became 200 (Penn State Department of Plant Sciences). Although none of the trials came close to reaching the maximum Gmax of two hundredthe highest safety Gmax for this machine there was a direct correlation between the Gmax of the field and how old the field was. The older the field, the higher the Gmax. All of these trials were reported by Penn State and relate to the increase in attention head injuries are receiving in current media. Members from the United States Womenââ¬â¢s soccer team were outraged in 2015 when they learned they would be playing their World Cup games on artificial turf (Alba NBC). Throughout the qualifying games, quarter-finals, and semi-finals, players from multiple countries complained of the negative side-effects that came with turf. A star of the United States team, Abby Wambach, explained that field turf took away her ability to trust her own skills. The turf would cause the ball to spin differently than grass, which would make it difficult for her to know when to head the ball. Additionally, she began to hesitate before she would slide for the ball because all she would be able to think about was the cuts and burns it would leave on her legs. Players from various teams, such as Americaââ¬â¢s Sydney Leroux, Germanyââ¬â¢s Nadine Angerer, and Australiaââ¬â¢s Samantha Kerr, posted pictures on social media platforms displaying how bloody their legs become after playing in a game o n turf (Alba NBC). Leading to the World Cup many countries banded together in an attempt to play on natural grass opposed to turf. Their claim was that, as the best players in the world, they should be able to play on the best fields as well. They were denied this right and were still forced to play on turf throughout the entire tournament. Wambach claimed the turf caused her to, ââ¬Å"second guess whether to slide tackle or go for a diving header,â⬠due to the possible injuries it would result in (Alba NBC). One fact that has been proven about field turf is the amount of heat it emits on an already hot day. Data was collected from the 2015 Womenââ¬â¢s World Cup played in Canada. Temperatures on the field during the Canada v. China game reached 120 degrees an hour before the game had started, and the Ottawa field reached up to 130 degrees (Alba NBC). It has been recorded that artificial turf creates a hotter surface for athletes to play on. On sunny, clear days turf can average up to thirty five to fifty degrees fahrenheit above the temperature the same field would have been had the grass been natural opposed to artificial. A study in the 1970s proved that field turf grew up to fifty degrees higher than natural grass and very little had been done in the following decades to change this issue (The Sportsturf Scoop). In 2002 in Provo Utah, a turf field was once recorded to have a temperature of two hundred degrees fahrenheit, when the actual temperature of the area was only ninety eight. While these conditions are dangerous to all people, they can be incredibly harmful to children who spend hours each week playing on turf. It is much harder for children to adjust to these extreme temperatures compared to adults. It can cause dehydration and even heat stroke (The Sportsturf Scoop). The reason turf is so much hotter than natural grass is because natural grass, unlike artificial grass, has the ability to transpire; plastic blades cannot perform this same task. Measures, such as spraying the fields with water between games, have been taken to try to solve this issue; however, this is not very effective and for the most part a temporary solution. At Williams and Pulley it took thirty minutes of watering for a field to drop from one hundred seventy degrees fahrenheit to only eighty five. Yet, in only five short minutes, the temperatures had risen back up to one hundred twenty degrees, and in twenty minutes the field was one hundred sixty four degrees (Penn State). Although precautions are being made, they are not adequate in ensuring the health of the athlete playing on the fields. Many parks and recreation departments, along with schools, are not swayed by these facts and still want to use artificial turf on their athletic fields. According to the Synthetic Turf Council, turf has numerous attributes that would ameliorate entire communities. Turf uses an overall average of less water than natural grass (Synthetic Turf Council). This can hel p communities conserve their water supply, which is particularly useful in times of drought. Turf fields are also more easily sustained. After three games on natural grass, a field begins to get torn apart, leaving a clear view of all the places that will require maintenance. On the contrary, turf can be played on all day without showing any signs of wear. This can allow towns and schools to rent out their fields and increase their revenue. Many towns rely on this money to fund their events, which is one of the many advantages of artificial field turf for communities. Although there are benefits to using turf opposed to natural grass, they do not outweigh the negative consequences. While a tournament would be able to have more games on a turf field rather than a grass field, it is during these long tournaments that the field would heat up on sunny days. There is no time during a tournament for the fields to be watered sufficiently which would compromise the heat on the field. This could harm the athletes health. Additionally, the field is easier to maintain, but the materials that make it so easy to maintain are tearing, burning, and cutting playersââ¬â¢ arms and legs whenever they touch the surface of the field. Professional female soccer players have been speaking out against this for years and have documented evidence to prove the harm that turf can cause to a persons body. The turf beads and the concrete foundation have been shown to correlate to both patients that have been diagnosed with cancer and the number of concussions young athletes are getting. A turf field might be a financial investment, but there are some tests of higher cost than monetary value. The use of artificial field turf is growing throughout the country and the world. It has become a versatile way for athletes to play their sport in places where natural grass may not be available. This does not mean the athletes should sacrifice their health, both at the present and in the future, simply for convenience. People who play sports know that there is always the risk of getting injured when they step on the field; they usually are not aware the field could be the cause of the injury.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)